Massage-roller.



. Nrrsn STATES MARGARET STONEBRIDGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ivlAssAe E-RoLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,109, dated February 2*?, 1900.

Application neanovemter 9, 1899. seria No. 736,447. (No man.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARGARET STONE- BR1DGE,a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of New York,

borough of Bronx, county and State of' New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Massage-Rollers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention aims to provide an artificial means for massaging, doing away with the manipulation of the muscles and surface of the body, whichis necessary` in manual massage.

With this end in View the invention consists of a cylinder-shaped piece of wood or other material having upon it a cylindricallyshaped flexible rubber band or other elastic material, the surface of which is recessed, so as to form a series of separate and independent compartments. These compartments when the utensil is in use cause a vacuum to form as they are applied to the surface of the body in massaging, as shown. The air is expelled from the recessed compartments by the iiexibility of their partitions, the vacuum being formed as the flexible partition of the recessed compartment assumes its perpendicular. This causes the skin to be drawn into the said compartments and released as the massage-roller passes over the surface of the body, which operation is repeated successively, causing the same effect to be apparent as was formerly obtained by the cumbersome method of cupping.

The instrument is manipulated by being revolved over the surface of the body with pressure by means of a handle.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is the plan or top view; Fig. 2, the central section, and Fig. 3 the cross-section.

The improved massage-roller comprises a utensil which is cylindrical in shape, so that it may easily be rolled upon the surface of the body, the vacuum being formed successively and the skin drawn into the recessed compartment, causing the blood to rush to the surface of the skin, thus mechanically massaging the part of the body to which the roller is applied instead of manually, as heretofore.

The size of the utensil is immaterial. The

cylinder, rubber band, and recessed compart-v ments may be constructed of any size.

The cylindrically-shaped flexible rubber is fitted closely over the cylinder A, having a small iiange B, and a series of recessed compartments C, substantially as shown. The recessed compartments C are formed by flexi ble partitions D.

In assembling the parts the cylinder-shaped soft-rubber compartment band is placed upon the solid cylinder of wood or other material, to which cylinder the handle E is applied, thus forming a solid support to the series of recessed compartments.

The edges of the partition D of the recessed compartments C are sufficiently flexible so as to cause, when rolled upon the surface of the body, the air to be expelled from the recessed compartments until the full surface of the recessed compartments is presented to the body and the vacuum formed.

The forming 0f the vacuum causes the skin to be drawn into the recessed compartments as the massage-roller passes over the surface of the body, mechanically massaging the part to which the roller is applied, doing away with the manual manipulation heretofore necessary in massaging and causing to be apparent the same effect formerly obtained by cupping.

While wood is preferable in the construction of the cylinder, it is obvious that any material suitable for the purpose may be used in the formation of the same, and while rubber is preferable in the construction of the band it is also obvious that any iiexible material may be substituted for the said rubber; also, changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacriiicing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention,'what I claim therein as new is- A massage-roller consisting of a central cy- IOOv sented to the body, the air to be expelled, and, my invention I have sign ed my name, in pres# upon the presentation of the full surface of -ence of two Witnesses, this 23d day of Octo- 1o the compartment to the body, a vacuum to ber, 1899. be formed, mechanically massaging that part of the body presented Where heretofore man MARGARET STONEBRIDGE ual application Was necessary, substantially Vtnesses: as and for the purpose described. ED. A. ISAACS,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as J. WILLIAM HILL. 

